Back-to-School: Marketing to Millennials 101

College towns look a little different when the end of August hits. Campus is suddenly more crowded than shopping malls or swimming pools. Now that it’s back-to-school season, college kids line up for used books and school-age children stock up on crisp uniform shirts and the latest gadgets. As they prep for the school year, your company can (and should be) tailoring its marketing strategy to suit them.

The back-to-school season means it’s time to get back to marketing basics, like knowing your audience. Today’s lesson will teach you the fundamentals of marketing to millennials. But first, a word of caution: don’t underestimate the spending power of millennials. Businesses with older marketing managers make the mistake of ignoring them because it’s easy to speak the language of their own generation. Communicating with an age group very unlike themselves doesn’t come naturally, but it can be learned (even by you!) 

Study Group

If you were to make up flashcards to remind you of millennials’ shopping and spending preferences, they’d surely include the following hallmarks of the 18 to 28 year old demographic.

To begin with, millennials expect to interact with their brands. The more you invite their input the more likely they’ll consider you one of their brands. Post questions on your social media outlets, for example, and show them how you’ll implement changes based on their positive or negative feedback. Millennials are also immersed in digital culture—print and online marketing that doesn’t mesh will hurt your credibility. Always try to find a creative way to mix print and digital marketing, aiming for niche crowds will usually help you focus creative energy to make a bigger impact.

Double Major

Yes, marketing was simpler when there were fewer marketing channels. But it was a lot less interesting—and millennials agree with us.

Grip your millennial audience by diversifying your marketing plan. For example, print QR codes on marketing materials and direct individually minded millennials to a personalized landing page. This set grew up wired—to them technology is as natural as green grass or fresh eggs. So remember that from a millennial’s perspective you can’t have print marketing without technology to back it up (and vice versa). Unless it's a wedding invite (even those are getting high tech these days), there needs to be some way for your client to interact with a digital medium from a printed piece.

Smartest Kids in Class

Millennials are more informed as customers than any generation before them. Before they do business with you, they know you. Make sure that your online reputation precedes you. For example, downplay any negative online reviews by inviting happy customers to review you online (and highlight your good report). Sometimes all it takes is an invitation to make quiet customers more outspoken.

Knowing your audience is a classic marketing tip, and marketing to millennials is increasingly important. Don’t let the youngest and largest buying demographic pass you by—revise your marketing plan now to make it more millennial-friendly tomorrow.

You can read more print, marketing, and design blogs on our website : Minuteman Press News Archive

Minuteman Press
4185 Sunbeam Road, Suite 100 • Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Phone: 904-733-5578 • Fax: 904-733-6568
sales@mmpjax.com

How to Create a Marketing Plan Inspired by the Olympics

National pride swells at the Olympics. Amateur athletes find new heroes, and Americans take their passion for sports and athletic competition to a whole new level. This Friday marks the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games and we’re beside ourselves with excitement. But our enthusiasm is more about your business than it is about the games.

As professional marketers we’re passionate about spreading the word. That’s why the Summer Olympics have us dreaming up new ways for you to promote your products and services.
Trademark and sponsorship issues make any mention of the official Olympics a no-no for your marketing plan. But don’t swear off the games just yet. Use them as inspiration to liven up your marketing strategy. Keep reading to learn how to infuse your marketing plan with the spirit of the Olympics.

For the Love of the Game

The Olympics demand national attention every four years because there’s an event for everyone. From basketball to badminton, synchronized swimming to weightlifting, the Olympic games are so diverse that they appeal to every kind of audience member.

Think of your business’s suite of services as the event list at the Olympics. One offering will fit the needs of one customer, but not another. Your goal is to match up the right product with the right client.

Game, Set, Match

Direct mail works because it forges connections between your business and its prospects or customers. It’s the best way to help your leads find their perfect match. A personalized direct mail campaign initiates a relationship between your business and your prospects. It’s a way to introduce your company and subtly show leads that your products will solve their challenges.

You’ve got to do your homework before inventing the perfect direct mail piece for your dream prospect. Get the most out of personalized direct mail by referring to solid data first. With data to backup your piece, your marketing campaign will be worthy of a gold medal.

The Winning Combination

Champion swimmer Michael Phelps has already won sixteen gold medals, and he’ll surely earn more at the London Olympics. There’s a lesson in Phelps’ training schedule for the games too: he doesn’t just workout in the pool. Phelps also logs long hours in the weight room.

Model your business’s marketing campaign after Phelps’ hybrid training regimen. Your direct mail piece can start the conversation with prospects, but coordinated signage and other promotional pieces may close the deal.

When you get hooked on watching the Olympics in the coming weeks, keep an eye out for competitive wisdom to shake up your marketing plan.

You can read more print, marketing, and design blogs on our website : Minuteman Press News Archive

Minuteman Press
4185 Sunbeam Road, Suite 100 • Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Phone: 904-733-5578 • Fax: 904-733-6568
sales@mmpjax.com